Salaryman, a grungy noodle bar headed up by executive chef of Flying Fish restaurant, Stephen Seckold, is due to open in Surry Hills next week.
The menu at Salaryman will change every day and will comprise seasonal broths, misos fermented in-house and rare breed pork butchered on-site. Dishes will include Tsukemen (dipping ramen) as noodles with a side of coconut-based dipping sauce and a side of robata calamari; a whole quail Mazemen (minimal broth ramen), with stock made from the quail bones, confit meat from the legs and breast carved from the crown just before serving, paired with miso; and a single pig Tantanmen, (a nod to the spicy Sichuan Chinese dan dan noodles), with broth made from the bones, and the meat used in both chashu-style and spicy minced pork, with a chilli garnish.
In addition to the noodles, there are small dishes including chicken wings stuffed with sea plant butter; smoked albacore with gooseberries; a take on street-food favourites like Takoyaki (ball-shaped Japanese snacks); and a street window serving sweet Taiyaki (fish-shaped cakes) for takeaway.
Salaryman will open as BYO until the liquor licence is finalised in early December. Once that comes through, the cocktail list will be curated by former pastry chef Marzio Lanzini and dictated by the daily markets and farmers, with a Japanese influence. Likely inclusions will be the Melon and Saffron Smash, made with saffron-infused cachaa, agave, cantaloupe melon and lemon; and Rice Fields which entails a seasonal herb-infused white rum with rice and Junmai Daiginjo sake. There will also be a selection of international beers and biodynamic and organic wines.
The interiors are described as grungy and raw, with designer Paul Kelly (Black, Sokyo) responsible for the simple yet industrial fit-out inspired by Tokyo’s Omoide Yokocho (Memory Lane); home to dozens of rickety buildings, smoky yakitori and izakaya bars in metropolitan Shinjuku.
Seating up to 100 people, Salaryman will be open for lunch and dinner, Monday to Saturday.
Seckold, who's previous worked at Jonah’s Whale Beach and La Noisette in London, will remain as executive chef of Flying Fish while also heading up Salaryman.
